1. What are Appiah and Foer's theses? How do you know?
2. Both Appiah and Foer analyze "us v. them" mentalities--that is, how cultural groups often define themselves by what they aren't. Identify some of the cultural groups to which you belong (remember "cultural groups" can form around anything--from ethnicity to religion to hobbies). Then, discuss the extent to which these cultural groups define themselves in relation to others.
3. What ideas and arguments are of most interest and relevance to you in each essay? Why? What ideas and arguments can you trace as common and different between Appiah and Foer's essays? How do these connections help you understand the issues at play in any discussion of globalism/globalization?
4. Foer makes heavy use of personal experience in building his argument. How do his stories enhance his central message? After reading the essay assignment for this week, can you find ways to use narrative or anecdote in your essay? How will you integrate your personal experience in ways that, to quote Lunsford, "build common ground"?
5. Drawing upon the terms and strategies Greene and Lidinsky use in Chapter 9, analyze the effectiveness of Appiah and Foer's introductions and conclusions. Are Appiah and Foer's introductions and conclusions persuasive? Why and how?